In this podcast we present excerpts of remarks by Max Soliven, publisher of the Philippine Star newspaper, from his presentation to the Public Relations Society of the Philippines at the 13th National Public Relations Congress in Manila on September 28, 2006.
As publisher of one of the largest newspapers in the Philippines, Max wrote a 2,000 word column six days a week. Max Soliven died of a heart attack in Japan on November 24, 2006. His last column, “Is a jingoistic Japan on the rise under Abe? Or is this aging powerhouse no longer dangerous?” filed from Japan, expressed concern about the rise of a new nationalism in the Japanese government.
This podcast is being cross posted to Lubetkin’s Other Blog Podcast and the CompuSchmooze Podcast Feeds.
I met Max when we both spoke to the PRSP conference, and was impressed to learn of his journalistic career, which began when Vietnam was still called Indochina. As a “newsman in the trenches,” Max covered the French military disaster in Indochina, the US military conflict in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, and went on to cover insurgencies and uprisings all over Southeast Asia. He was jailed for a time during the Ferdinand Marcos regime in the Philippines, and was charged with criminal libel by President Corazon Aquino for a story his paper published claiming that she hid under a bed during the military coup that overthrew her regime.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:37 — 37.9MB)
Subscribe: RSS
Max Soliven speaks at the Public Relations Society of the Philippines 13th National Public Relations Congress, September 28, 2006.
Max Soliven speaks at the Public Relations Society of the Philippines 13th National Public Relations Congress, September 28, 2006.
Max Soliven answers questions at the Public Relations Society of the Philippines 13th National Public Relations Congress, September 28, 2006.
Max Soliven, second from left, chats with Matt Lussenhop of the US Embassy and Steve Lubetkin (far right) at the Public Relations Society of the Philippines 13th National Public Relations Congress, September 28, 2006. At left, face obscured, is Maloli K. Espinosa, vice president of corporate communications, ABS-CBN Television, chair of the PRSP National Public Relations Congress.
Max Soliven chats with Matt Lussenhop of the US Embassy and Steve Lubetkin (far right) at the Public Relations Society of the Philippines 13th National Public Relations Congress, September 28, 2006.
I work in Manhattan. In 2000, I felt I needed to hear what a non-USA paper thought about my USA, and I eventually landed on Max Soliven’s newspaper, the Philippine Star. Soliven’s columns ranged from memories of the baker down the street to heartbreak at his country’s political infighting. One day he wrote of “pulling a rabbi out of his hat” — in a follow-up, he noted that even he, as the Star’s publisher, was not immune to sloppiness by his proofreading staff. He wrote of the national and international scene, personalized because he had known so many world leaders as young people, or had visited everywhere on the globe. He wrote of the White Castle hamburger stand on Fordham Road from his college days. What I learned from Max Soliven was about continued faith in the goodness of the future, in the midst of selfishness or foolishness, and with an eye on the great joy of life. Thank you so much for your podcast and your post.